BME5: Introduction to Biotechnology
Wendy Rothwell, Ph.D. (Rothwell-Lopez)
rothwell@soe.ucsc.edu
Office Hours: 9:45-10:45am MWF in 405A PSB
Office Phone: (831) 459-1623
Spring 2009
MWF 8:00 am-9:10 am
Classroom Unit 1
Course Description
Lecture course providing an introduction to the tools and applications of biotechnology in the fields of
medicine, agriculture, the environment and industry.
TA and Discussion Sections
not mandatory, TA TBA
Section Class #
Day
01A
75221
Th
01B
75223
F
Time
4:00-5:10pm
11:00am-12:10pm
Location
Engineer 2 194
Engineer 2 194
Text and other sources
Text: Introduction to Biotechnology second edition, Thieman and Palladino (2009) (available on reserve
in the Science and Engineering library)
Companion website (Bookmark this!): http://wps.aw.com/bc_palladino_biotech_2/
WebCT account: see WebCT Instructions at the end of the syllabus.
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Grading
Grades will be based on performance on 8 homework assignments (lowest score of 9 dropped), 2 exams
and one research paper describing a newly developed biotechnology approach or tool. Weighting of
each component in the grade is shown below.
assignment
Homework
Exams
Paper*
number
8
2
1
points each
10
50
20
total points
80
100
20
200
% of grade
40%
50%
10%
* Please refer to the Paper Handout (available on WebCT) for details regarding format, etc.
Note*** add 5 points extra credit if all 9 homework assignments are turned in.
Homework assignments are due every Monday at the start of class. (when Monday is a Holiday, the
assignment is due on the following Wednesday)
The final exam is not comprehensive and will be given on Tuesday, June 9 from 8:00-11:00am in
Classroom Unit 1.
I don’t expect to grade on a curve although I’ll wait until I see the final scores to make that assessment. I
will not, however, pass anyone who earns fewer than 60% of the total points.
Course Organization
As I give the lectures I will be filling in lecture outlines that have been previously prepared.
Copies of each of these outlines will be made available on the WebCT course Website prior to each
lecture and will be formatted such that students can fill them in with the information as I lecture.
Therefore, it will be important for students to have these printed out and ready to fill in at the start of
each lecture.
Whenever possible I will use figures from your text in my lectures. However, on many occasions I will
be using other sources from the Web and I may also utilize handouts. Links to the Web sources will be
provided within the text in each lecture outline. Handouts, if I use them, will be made available on the
WebCT course Website.
Exams
The format of the exams will include short answer, matching, true-false and multiple choice questions.
No scantrons or bluebooks will be needed. Also, no electronic devices (calculators, etc) will be needed
or allowed. Bring 2 sharp pencils with erasers.
No make-up exams will be provided. Therefore, you may want to give yourself extra time to get to
school on exam days (in case something happens on the way to school).
Disability Resource Center (DRC) Accommodations
Anyone needing DRC accommodations needs to let me know, and submit an Accommodation
Authorization as early in the quarter as possible in order to ensure enough time to set up the
accommodations. Contact DRC at 459-2089 (voice), 459-4806 (TTY).
Academic Integrity
Behaviors considered to constitute academic misconduct (cheating, plagiarism, or aiding others in
cheating) will be taken very seriously and will result in anything from a zero score on the assignment to
failing the class. The “Official University Policy on Academic Integrity” can be found at
http://www.ucsc.edu/academics/academic_integrity/undergraduate_students/
Note that plagiarism means the act of presenting someone else’s words/ideas as your own. This involves
not only taking text, word-for-word from another source but also includes moving words around to make
a “new” set of sentences based on someone else’s text = paraphrasing. Failing to reference the source of
findings described within a publication is another form of plagiarism.
Excellent information regarding plagiarism, what it is and how it can be avoided can be found at:
Indiana University Writing Tutorial Services. I urge you all to visit this site.
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml#plagiarized
Lecture Schedule (subject to change with fair notice) Reading assignments for each lecture are noted at
the start of each lecture outline (available on the WebCT course website)
3/30 (Mon): The History, Promise and Challenges of Biotechnology (Lecture 1)
4/1 (Wed): Lecture 1 continued
4/3 (Fri): Genes, Genomes, Chromosomes and Cells (Lecture 2)
4/6 (Mon): Lecture 2 continued
4/8 (Wed): Lecture 2 continued
4/10 (Fri): Recombinant DNA Technology and PCR (Lecture 3)
4/13 (Mon): Lecture 3 continued
4/15 (Wed): Lecture 3 continued
4/17 (Fri): Producing and Isolating Proteins (Lecture 4)
4/20 (Mon): Lecture 4 continued
4/22 (Wed): Microbial Biotechnology (Lecture 5)
4/24 (Fri): Lecture 5 continued
4/27 (Mon): Lecture 5 continued
4/29 (Wed): Lecture 5 continued
5/01 (Fri): Engineering Plants and Animals (Lecture 6)
5/04 (Mon): Exam 1 (covers information through 4/29 lecture)
5/06 (Wed): Lecture 6 continued
5/08 (Fri): Lecture 6 continued
5/11 (Mon): Biotechnology and the Environment (Lecture 7)
5/13 (Wed): Aquatic Biotechnology (Lecture 8)
5/15 (Fri): Medical Biotechnology I: Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease (Lecture 9)
5/18 (Mon): Lecture 9 continued
5/20 (Wed): Lecture 9 continued
5/22 (Fri): Lecture 9 continued
5/25 (Mon): Holiday
5/27 (Wed): Medical Biotechnology II: Regenerative Medicine and Bioethics (Lecture 10)
5/29 (Fri): Lecture 10 continued
6/01 (Mon): Lecture 10 continued
6/03 (Wed): Lecture 10 continued
6/05 (Fri): Biotechnology Regulation (Lecture 11)
6/09 (Tues): Final Exam (covers information from 5/01 lecture on) from 8:00-11:00am in
Classroom Unit 1
WebCT Login Instructions
Go to http://ic.ucsc.edu/services/learning_management_system/
Login to WebCT using the same user ID and password as the ones used for your campus email
account. Note that you will not have access to the WebCT account if you are not registered for the
class.
Further instructions and help, if needed, can be obtained from the login guide
(http://ic.ucsc.edu/services/learning_management_system/student_info.php) or by contacting me at
rothwell@soe.ucsc.edu.